Food, Naturally: Articles IV

In case you are new to the series, you can start at the beginning or the introduction.

Here are a few articles related to government regulation of the food industry and the ability to make our own food choices. Pretty soon we may not have the ability to buy from a farmer’s market or to choose whole milk at the grocery store. (Yes, I am sensationalizing, at least I hope.)

Amish Milk: The Latest Target of the Obama Regulatory State
— Be careful where you buy milk! Sting operations are in place to catch the Amish selling raw milk across state lines!

Sugary-drink ban starts to affect S.F. sites
— I would bet that whole milk was not on the list of acceptable choices for vending machines …

Department of Transportation Sets Sights on Farmers’ and States’ Rights
— A new multi-million dollar business for the government … CDL training for all farm machinery operators, DOT numbers, and plenty of paperwork and oversight for the farmers.

Wisconsin Judge Denies Basic Property Rights and Fuels Outrage
— Now we will really have to fight for our freedom to choose our own food, even if we produce it! (If nothing else, be sure to read the judge’s clarification of his ruling in the numbered list.)

This is the direction our country is heading. Big government needs to step down or there may be another revolutionary war, unless "We the People" decide to sit back and take it.

Food, Naturally: Know Your Ingredients, Read Your Labels

In case you are new to the series, you can start at the beginning or the introduction.

I talked last time about eliminating processed foods, but let’s face it; they are never going to be totally eliminated from our homes. As long as we eat real food 80% of the time, we can usually afford to compromise 20% of the time and hope our bodies will be forgiving. We should remember that the more “compromises” we make with food, the more strain we are putting on our bodies. As I briefly discussed here, the foods we eat are stressing our bodies to the point of exhaustion. But if you truly want to serve healthy, real food for your family and your budget is cutting you short, incorporating the meal blessing will give you the opportunity to ask and trust God to make up the difference.

So, what about those much talked about food labels? If I have not gotten the point across by now, I will repeat myself: do not trust them!

Here are just some of the many food label problems:
* Expiration dates: Use by, sell by, best by dates are only regulated by the USDA for infant formula. Only twenty states require dates (on some products) by law. Some dates are for store use only (such as sell-by dates) and are not an indicator of food safety. Other dates are given by the company to indicate peak freshness, not expiration and food safety.

* Trans fat: If the product has .49g or less trans fat per serving, the company is allowed to claim “no trans fat” on the box! Just a hint, you should read the serving sizes since they passed that law. Many are so small you would certainly be eating double or triple (or more) of the serving size in a normal meal/snack. So you could potentially be eating 1 - 1.5+ grams of trans fat with that one product. If the ingredient lists partially-hydrogenated oil, hydrogenated oil, and/or shortening, it contains trans fats no matter what the box and nutrition label says!

* “Raw” sugar (ex. Sugar in the Raw) is actually processed. Now how exactly do they get away with claiming “raw” on a processed food? Because there is no law that says otherwise, therefore the company can make any claim they wish to dupe you into buying their product.

* Health food claims: These are the worst. You think the product is healthy because they state all the vitamins and minerals in it, but do you stop to read the food label and ingredients as well? You should. Take children’s sugary cereals for example. They have always been marketed as “healthy” because of the added man-made vitamins and minerals (which are only added because of the poor quality of the original ingredients) and now for the “whole grains!”, but they have way too much sugar! And we all know now why we should limit sugar.

* “Wheat” products: The word “wheat” on a package does not mean anything unless the words “whole” or “100% whole” are accompanied with it. White flour, also known as enriched flour on food labels, is wheat flour. It has just been processed down to the endosperm only and bleached. Almost all the nutrients in wheat are found in the bran and germ. This is why white flour must be “enriched”!

* Multi-grain products: These are made to sound nutritious by claiming multiple grains, but usually these products are made with mostly white flour. Again, read the ingredient list.

Reading Nutrition Labels:
* Ingredients are listed according to weight, so the first ingredient is what makes up the majority of the product and so on.

* Look at the serving size. Because so many people are worried about nutrition anymore, many companies have lowered their serving sizes instead of lowering the sugar, sodium, or other content as claimed on the package. Also, many serving sizes are now much smaller than you would normally eat in one sitting (as stated above).

* Next look at the amount of sodium and sugar listed. For every 600 milligrams (mg) of sodium listed, there is ¼ teaspoon of salt per serving. For every 4 grams (g) of sugar listed, there is one teaspoon of sugar per serving. Most products include massive amounts of salt as a preservative so the product stays “fresh” longer. Sugar is included so often (especially when unnecessary as in the case of my crab) because our culture is now addicted to sugar.

Ingredients List: What to Look For
First, always look for partially-hydrogenated oil, hydrogenated oil, and/or shortening. If any of those words show up in the product list, don’t buy it! I promise, you can find crackers, tortillas, and other baked items without trans fats. You just have to look harder.

Next, how many types of sugar can you spot? Sugar may not be listed first, but that does not mean a product is not mostly sugar, or at least made up of too much sugar. If the company uses many types of sugar, they could all add up to being the main ingredient. Sugar words to look for include (in no particular order): sugar, fructose, sucrose, glucose, dextrose, maltose, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, cane syrup, and honey.

One more thing to look for is monosodium glutamate or MSG. The only problem with this is it can be found among so many names. If you think you are ready to spot them out, read the article linked in the previous sentence and also this Truth in Labeling table.

There are many other ingredients to stay away from in processed foods such as food dyes, chemical additives and preservatives, nitrates and nitrites (in processed meats), and others. If you are ready to tackle all of those, one of the best things to do is start looking for products listed as “natural” or “organic” and read only those food labels. It will narrow down your search, making it a little faster. I will talk more about natural and organic products in my upcoming posts.

For more information on ingredients and food labels, please read the books and blogs listed here.

Food, Naturally: Eliminate Processed Foods

In case you are new to the series, you can start at the beginning or the introduction.

As I have discussed previously, processed foods are something we should avoid for the reasons listed below and many more!

What is Real Food?—processed food is not and cannot be real food!
Why Eat Real Food, Part I?—God made real food. Man made processed food. You decide!
Why Eat Real Food, Part II?—How can we trust experts and researchers to tell us the truth when they are worried only about their own interests?
Article I—The truth about the food industry. We all probably know it, but do not want to believe it.
Article II and More—Do you need more to convince you of the problems with the food industry?
Vegetable Oils and Bad Fats—What type of ingredients are found most often in processed foods (besides sugars)? Vegetable oils … man-made foods.
Article III and More—More about vegetable oils and their problems
Natural Sugars and Eating Less of Them!—The other most common ingredient in processed foods? Sugar, of course!

So, after all that information, I still have more to share, or elaborate on, about processed foods. Most of the links below (but not all) correspond to the pages already linked to above.

The word “processed” should steer us all away from these foods for the simple reason in Why Eat Real Food, Part I. But since some of us need more encouragement and reasoning than that, I will elaborate. Many of us (myself included) love convenience. We crave convenience because we have become so used to it, as our society has “progressed” (and I am using the word loosely here). The other reason we “need” convenience comes from the problem discussed a while back in this post about women. It basically comes down to priorities—what they currently are and what they should be.

Many processed foods can be made at home quickly, cheaply, and far more healthfully than what we would buy at the store. I will start putting links on my Recipes post (found at the top of every page) for “typically processed” foods so that you can see how quick and easy things such as salad dressings, cream of ____ soup, or even mayonnaise are to make yourself! I would also like to point out that breads, muffins, and pizza crust (things we would typically buy already made or mixes for in the store) are quick and simple. The rising time for breads can make them “time-consuming”, but the fact that you get to do other things while the yeast works by itself, equates to a simple, easy, cheap real food option! I already have links available for some of my favorite “bread” recipes.

The other problems with processed foods (on top of too many vegetable oils and sugars) are the chemicals, additives, preservatives, and food dyes found among the ingredients. Are these ingredients safe? Can we trust the people who say they are? Are they God-given? Have they been around for thousands of years, like real foods, or just the past few decades?

Like I discussed here, companies want to make a product cheaply. They do not care about the ingredients they put into the product. It is more profitable for them to use white flour and fortify their food with vitamins and minerals than to give you the whole wheat version because whole wheat is more expensive and will turn rancid faster giving it a shorter shelf-life and thus less profit (because they have to worry about the product being sold quickly). Look at the crackers the next time you are in the store. You will notice the ones with whole wheat expire a lot earlier than the others. Another example is the overuse of soybean and corn oil—two of the cheapest oils available, but both are recent, man-“made”, and can be hazardous.

The third problem is with labels and the distrust they create between consumers and the companies. I will talk next time about reading/deciphering ingredients and labels.

For more information on processed foods, please read the books and blogs listed here.

Food, Naturally: Natural Sugars and Eating Less of Them!

In case you are new to the series, you can start at the beginning or the introduction.

Some sugars are okay, others can be dangerous in large quantities. Care to know which ones you should choose?

Honey – A natural, God-given sweetener with anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal properties. It treats cough and upper respiratory infections, may promote better blood sugar control, contains antioxidants, improves HDL, boosts immunity, and taking 1 T raw honey made from within 100 miles of your home fights seasonal allergies. Honey also contains trace amounts of vitamins and minerals. The most interesting thing about honey is it never spoils! It has been found in Egyptian pyramids still edible!

Maple syrup – Also a natural God-given sweetener that contains antioxidants, 100% DV of manganese in ¼ cup, and is high in zinc. It raises HDL, supports the immune system, has anti-inflammatory properties, helps with male reproductive health and prostate support, has potential benefits for Type II Diabetes, and more than 20 compounds in maple syrup are associated with human health and also believed to have anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, and antibacterial properties (source). Pour that 100% pure maple syrup on your pancakes!

Sucanat – This is dehydrated raw cane sugar. It is better than white sugar (but not much) because it is simply dehydrated cane juice – unrefined, unbleached, and molasses-retained (not added back in). Therefore, it also retains some (minute) amounts of actual nutrients and is metabolized a little slower than white sugar. “Raw sugar” in the store is not the same as sucanat. “Raw sugar” is actually processed. I will talk more about food labels in a future post.

White sugar (can also apply to sucanat) – Since she already did the research and wrote it out, you can read here the bad things about white sugar. Bottom Line: Sugar is an empty food devoid of any nutrient value. It only tastes good and is used far too often in processing today.

Artificial sweeteners – As with everything else, do we trust the research that says they are okay or listen to the research that says they are harmful? Remembering what God made and gave us on this earth will go a long way in using common sense on which sugars/sweeteners to avoid!

Why do we need to eat less sugar?

“Eating sugar depletes B vitamins, which leads to premenstrual symptoms and depression, and promotes Candida albicans, a systemic yeast infection. Sugar also causes bone loss, and of course tooth decay—but not for the reason you might think. Sugar upsets the balance of calcium and phosphorus, which causes teeth to rot from the inside out. … Last but not least, by raising blood sugar, triglycerides, and cholesterol, sugar leads to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.” (Real Food, 216, emphasis original)

Sugar should never be a staple in your diet and does not even have to be included at all. If you want to include it regularly, at least choose honey and maple syrup over other types of sugar, but everyone’s sugar intake should be reduced overall. Try adding only a quarter or half the sugar called for in recipes and look for ways to reduce your dependence on processed foods (almost all of which contain too much sugar). Just for example, I bought artificial crab the other day for a meal—and what was included in the ingredients? Sugar! The generic brand also had almost twice as much sugar as the name brand so I opted to pay more for less sugar.

For more information on sugars, please read the books and blogs listed here.

Food, Naturally: Article III and More

In case you are new to the series, you can start at the beginning or the introduction.

I thought I would give you some additional information on vegetable oils, in case you are interested in reading about them.
**Are Polyunsaturated Oils Healthy? from Kitchen Stewardship

My Thoughts: I find all the information so fascinating that I have come across recently. And I am quickly learning that what we put into our bodies affects so much of everything else. If we all started eating healthy (the way people did a few hundred years ago and more) many of the diseases we see now would disappear. But the even bigger shocker is that, according to what I have read, this would not happen overnight. We have hurt our bodies so much through our food that our children and grandchildren will suffer, even if they eat right! I think, if that statement does not motivate you to research and change your eating habits, nothing will!

I also think that researchers today are sometimes blinded by the fact that "the government" or "experts" have said that particular foods are healthy or safe so they do not even look at food as a cause for so many of our diseases any more. From my reading, many modern diseases including many cancers, diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure problems, obesity, and heart disease are soley caused from the food we eat. We need to change our eating habits. We need to eat real food. We must demand better for our children, our nation, and our world. Eat Food, Naturally.

Food, Naturally: Vegetable Oils and Bad Fats

In case you are new to the series, you can start at the beginning or the introduction.

Almost all vegetable oils today are recent foods. They are not found in traditional diets, and for good reason. What are these industrial fats? Soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, and any oil or fat (including lard) that is hydrogenated. These fats can cause major problems when eaten in large or small amounts as stated below.

Both omega-6 fats (found mostly in vegetable oils) and omega-3 fats (found in fish) are essential to good health, but the problem is that we should be eating equal amounts of these two types. Instead our grocery stores are bombarded with “low-fat” vegetable oils in every processed food available and we are told to use vegetable oils in cooking instead of saturated fats so we end up eating too much of them.

Because of their properties, too many omega-6 fats cause inflammation, obesity, insulin resistance, premature labor, infertility, blood clots, and depression. They also constrict blood vessels and encourage platelet stickiness and clotting leading to heart disease.

On the other side, our diets are also lacking omega-3 fats found in seafood and fish. Not enough omega-3 fats can cause major problems such as dyslexia, poor motor skills, ADHD, even depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.

Because of the amount of vegetable oils we consume, consequences of imbalance can affect even breastfed babies as shown here in the quality of breast milk:

• Ideal ratio of omega-6 fats to omega-3 fats = 1 to 1
• 2 studies done in the US show ratios of 67.4 to 1 and 175.0 to 1

Another problem with vegetable oils is their fault with heating. Unsaturated fats are easily oxidized during cooking. Oxidized fats contribute to cancer and heart disease. They can also cause diarrhea, poor growth, loss of hair, skin lesions, anorexia, emaciation, and intestinal hemorrhages. The best fats to fry in are beef fat, butter, or coconut oil because they are highly saturated and therefore stable during heating.

We all know trans fats cause health problems. We should avoid them at all costs as they have no health benefits and are dangerous in any amount; even the government health agencies will admit that point, but have you ever looked at the processed food you buy from the store? You will quickly see how they are nowhere near eliminated from our diets as they should be. All hydrogenated and partially-hydrogenated oils ARE trans fats. (I will talk more about food labels later.) Most pretzels, tortillas, crackers, cookies, cakes, and other baked goods are full of hydrogenated oils. Go ahead, look at your labels. I’ll wait.

The problems with trans fats:

• Lower HDL
• Raise LDL
• Raise Lp(a), which promotes atherosclerosis and clotting
• Reduce blood vessel function
• Promote obesity, diabetes, and hypertension
• Alter fat cell size and number
• Reduce fat content of breast milk (a necessary nutrient for babies’ growth and brain development)
• Reduce fertility and correlate with low birth weight
• Increase asthma
• Reduce immune response
• Interfere with conversion and use of DHA and EPA (omega-3 fats)
• Disrupt enzymes that metabolize carcinogens and drugs
• Damage cell membranes
• Create free radicals

When we eat the foods we are supposed to, and avoid all these new man-made concoctions, we will avoid many of these debilitating diseases that now plague our society. It is only when other countries start incorporating the “American way” of eating that they begin to see problems in their health. So what do we do? Eat real food, naturally!

For more information on vegetable oils and other fats, please read the books listed here.

Food, Naturally: Article II and More

In case you are new to the series, you can start at the beginning or the introduction.

From Michael Pollan

The American paradox: we obsess about food constantly, but have the highest rates of obesity and diabetes in the world

UPDATE: Need another reason to support locally-owned, small, sustainable farms? Read the two stories here about MRSA and honey bees.

My thoughts: Why would big companies want to change their behavior? They are making money and do not care about the consequences. Big companies care only about their shareholders (which means they need a big bottom line). The FDA does not even want to be involved because they obviously get a lot of pressure from the pharmaceutical companies who do not want to lose (at least) 70% of their antibiotic business! Did we need another example of why capitalism is bad? It's time for distributism to take hold.

On another note: It is acceptable for arsenic to be found in apple juice as long as it is below the levels that somebody else deemed to be safe. Do you really trust their research based on what you have read so far in this series? (Like this post or this one.)

Food, Naturally: Meat, Eggs, and Good Fats

In case you are new to the series, you can start at the beginning or the introduction.

Because there is so much controversy and false information out there, I will again start my post with a reiteration (from the introduction):

“There are so many false sources out there that it can be hard to sift through them, but one of the most important things to remember is this. Do they have a political, financial, or other gain that may be obtained by making these remarks regarding what we eat?”

And I will also remind you to read this article talked about in my last post, if you haven’t already.

One of the most important things I learned through my reading is that all traditional fats are healthy in moderation. Not just neutral or “unharmful”, but rather beneficial.

What are traditional fats? (Fats that God gave us)
Lard, beef and pork fat, poultry fat, cream, butter, extra virgin olive oil, unrefined palm oil, and unrefined coconut oil

All these fats have been eaten for thousands of years and yet heart disease was rare before the 1900s and the first heart attack in the United States was not until 1912. Then by mid-century, heart disease became the number one killer! What did people start eating around that time? Trans fats (in the form of hydrogenated oils) and an excess of refined vegetable oils. Yes, these are the killers and I will talk more about them in the next post.

As talked about here, the so-called research evidence stating that saturated fats and cholesterol cause heart disease is false. Please read Real Food by Nina Planck (listed here) to discover more about this.

What are some benefits of saturated fats?
They are required for the absorption of calcium and other minerals. The body is better able to retain omega-3 fats when saturated fats are also eaten. Saturated fats build the immune system by fighting harmful pathogens. They lower blood levels of lipoprotein (a)—which leads to clotting and atherosclerosis. And when you eat too much saturated fat, the body converts it to monounsaturated fat which lowers LDL and does not affect HDL. How’s that for reasons to eat more bacon and butter?!

As always, for more information on good, traditional fats, please read the books listed here.

Food, Naturally: Article I

In case you are new to the series, you can start at the beginning or the introduction.

This article, Confessions of a former Big Food executive, based on The Blog of Bruce Bradley, who is a former food marketer for some of America's biggest food companies, is a must read to go along with my series.

Marriage Series: Soul Mates

I do not have any Catholic sources for this post, only my own thoughts and ideas. But I believe my reasoning is based on common sense, reality, and faith—and that is where I will start.

So many people have this idea of “soul mates”. They feel, as I used to, that somewhere in this huge, ever-growing world there is only one person that God designed for them to marry. And somehow we will “just know” when we meet the right one, the only one, for us.

Why would this be a false idea? How could this become a problem? A few things Catholic come to mind. First, in the Bible, it states that if you become a widow, you are free to marry again, because the marriage bond is broken through death (and only through death). How could we marry another if there was only one God-created spouse out there for us?

Second, what if, with all our human faults and failings, we marry the wrong one? Then one day we meet the “perfect one”, our soul mate? Shouldn’t we be able to divorce our current spouse to marry this one person God created for us? Well, as stated above, it is only through death that the marriage bond is broken and since killing is a sin, we will be stuck with our spouse until they die naturally!

This idea has hurt so many people and so many marriages. People think that when someone “better” comes along, they should divorce their current spouse and marry the lover. But the grass is not greener, as “love” comes in stages and the first stage of love is the only one most people actually consider love. (If you don’t have those butterflies in your stomach or the cheesy grin on your face, you must have “fallen out of love”. I will talk more about this erroneous notion later.)

So if we do not have a soul mate, how do we know how to pick a spouse? Courtship.

Up Next: Courtship vs. Dating

For full texts of the documents used, see my Marriage Series: Introduction

Food, Naturally: Raw Milk and Other Dairy

In case you are new to the series, you can start at the beginning or the introduction.

I have talked about the benefits of raw milk previously, so I did not want to repeat myself, but much of this is too important not to share again.

I feel like I should start off with a realization. Raw milk is almost a completely different product from pasteurized milk. In pasteurized milk, all the enzymes and beneficial bacteria and almost all the vitamins have been “scorched” out of the milk. The A and D vitamins found in store bought milk have been added back in. The enzymes found in raw milk help the body digest the sugars and proteins found in the milk. This is why many people who are lactose intolerant find they are able to drink raw milk without any issues. The bacteria found in raw milk help the digestive system and immune system similar to how yogurt works.

Many people think drinking raw milk is unsafe, but this is not true. When cows are fed a natural diet, (read: free-grazing, eating pasture) they rarely get sick compared to cows given a space not much bigger than they are, required to stand and lay in their own waste, and fed an unnatural “grain” diet (i.e. usually corn which a cow would rarely, if ever, eat in nature). This combined with other factors including small farms where the farmer takes care to make sure he does not contaminate the milk means that drinking a local source of raw milk is safe.

Drinking raw milk actually means drinking whole milk. We should be drinking the fat with the milk as this is where the fat-soluble vitamins are found and also because some vitamins require fat in order to be used in our bodies. I will talk more about fat in the next post.

Other dairy products that are good for you and should be eaten regularly (daily) include raw (or at least organic) cream, real butter (preferably made from raw cream or at least organic cream), yogurt or kefir, crème fraiche (sour cream), and raw milk cheese.

For more information on dairy please read the books listed here.

Just FYI

I am quite sure that all of you regular readers (and my few one-time readers) have noticed, my blog is often neglected. This is due to the fact that blogging for me is strictly a hobby I enjoy in my free time. If I do not have free time or if I choose to read, research, or craft in my spare time, my blog will most certainly be lacking updates for a while. If this bothers you, I do apologize, but the only benefit I gain from my blog is the enjoyment of writing. I currently make $0 from this blog (and have never made any money from it). In other words, it is just for me ... and if you benefit from reading when I can post, I will get satisfaction knowing I can help others while I am enjoying myself!

So, with that said, here is what has been keeping me busy lately besides household chores and errands:

Handmade felt baby shoes
From this pattern
Note: I think the pattern is on the small side. Measure your baby's feet before using this pattern. You may have to use the larger pattern or even enlarge it with a copier.

Handmade felt Christmas tree
Came up with the idea and "pattern" myself. Undecorated: I will have to improvise, as my plan to glue on shiny Christmas-colored pom-poms doesn't work.

Baby quilt
... just started, but here's a sneak peak

Food, Naturally: Why You Will Feel Better Eating It

In case you are new to the series, you can start at the beginning or the introduction.

The easiest answer goes back to what was stated in this post: “God made our bodies to function using the food that He gave us and people ate this way for thousands of years.” If God made cholesterol, saturated (and unsaturated) fat, natural vitamins and minerals, plants and animals, then our bodies will not only survive, but thrive from eating these things.

Some nutrients that our bodies need are found only in animal products. Even cultures that are traditionally vegetarian will eat dairy, eggs, or even bugs because of the necessary nutrients found there. No culture is traditionally vegan. That form of eating is unhealthy and even deadly without manmade supplements. With animal products, you cannot separate the necessary nutrients from the cholesterol; with dairy, you cannot separate them from the fat. Those are the places where the nutrients are found.

Let’s start out with a research example: “In 1996, researchers noted that Israeli Jews followed the recommended diet for preventing obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. They ate fewer calories, more carbohydrates, less fat, less saturated fat, and more polyunsaturated vegetable oils than Americans. Their diet closely resembled the USDA food pyramid, including generous amounts of fruits and vegetables” (Real Food, 206). We would assume, this being the recommended diet, that they lived longer and healthier than anyone in the world. “The reward for this dietary discipline? Higher rates of obesity and diabetes than Americans and similar rates of heart disease” (206).

So, if we shouldn’t eat the USDA recommended diet, what should we eat? And how do these things benefit our body? We should eat traditional foods, prepared in traditional ways. These are the foods God gave us. And this is the way it should be: Food, Naturally.


**I will elaborate on each food or group individually in their separate post.

Food, Naturally: Why Eat Real Food, Part II

In case you are new to the series, you can start at the beginning or the introduction.

Like I discussed last post, “experts” and “researchers” can deceive us. This is for the reason previously stated in the introduction:

“There are so many false sources out there that it can be hard to sift through them, but one of the most important things to remember is this. Do they have a political, financial, or other gain that may be obtained by making these remarks regarding what we eat?”

Most things are done and said today for the sole purpose of making money.

• Poorly-conducted studies are carried out just so companies have “proof” that their product is safe to use or consume, even if it is not (and long-term effects can never be studied quickly—which means most food products on the market today have not been tested for long-term side effects).
• Companies make claims on their packages that have never been confirmed and may even be false. Our government has made multiple laws stating what can and cannot be advertised on packaging, but there are still many things which are not yet regulated.
• Many large businesses employ lobbyists whose sole purpose is to pressure the government with the idea their product is safe, but their concern is money, not safety.
• Government officials are swayed by kickbacks or campaign funds instead of actual facts and figures done by legitimate double-blind, random, large research studies.
• Most companies hire lawyers for lawsuit-protection instead of chemists and chefs to change their “formulas”. (Real food doesn’t need a chemist or a lab.)
• Companies buy the cheapest ingredients so their foods are more profitable and then enhance the flavor with artificial ingredients and add “nutritional value” by fortifying/enriching with manmade vitamins and minerals.

If you don't believe me, read this article linked on a later Food, Naturally post.

As you can see, the consumer must always remember the old phrase “buyer beware”. We cannot and should not trust the companies making the food—their concern is profit. We cannot and should not trust the government to regulate our food—more laws means less freedom. (Big government is bad.) We must control the market ourselves by voting with our food dollars. We should buy safe, local products—real foods. We have a right to be able to speak in person to the farmer and ask questions about the products. We have a right to see where our food is grown or raised. We must demand more for ourselves and our families. And it all starts with what we are buying … it should be Food, Naturally.

Food, Naturally: Why Eat Real Food, Part I

In case you are new to the series, you can start at the beginning or the introduction.

Why is where we begin all reasonable discussions. This is the reason for including it at the beginning of the series, rather than specifically with each subsequent post. We should think for ourselves, because some things that “experts” or “researchers” say are actually harmful to us and we may not know or understand that without coming to our own conclusion beyond “so-and-so said I should”.

For everything, it is best to use common sense. Eating food is no different. Just as with other things, people (including myself) can get lazy and decide that “others must know better than I do” or “if they make it, it must be safe”. The worst excuse we use is “if government officials say something is or is not safe, they must be right”.

Using common sense with food is so easy, though. God made our bodies to function using the food that He gave us and people ate this way for thousands of years. Yet, in the past century or two, man thought he could make it easier on everyone by developing his own food in factories and over-crowded farms. This food can never compare to what God gave us. God knew what we needed to survive and thrive, to live longer and healthier. Processed and industrially-farmed food can never compare to Food, Naturally.

Food, Naturally: What is Real Food?

In case you are new to the series, you can start at the beginning or the introduction.

Many people may tell you different things about what real food is to them. I will tell you my definition first and include some others as well.

My perfect definition of real food encompasses locally grown, seasonal fruits and vegetables; locally-raised, pastured beef, pork, and chicken and eggs; raw milk and raw milk cheese; and freshly milled whole wheat breads. Some people may include an emphasis on plant foods or one on animal foods. Others focus on raw foods and sprouted or soaked grains. And others worry about humanely raised animal products, no genetically modified organisms (GMOs), or simply just organic foods.

I believe the most important, yet simplest definition of real food is food in its whole form, as close to nature as possible and made into meals from scratch in our own kitchens instead of processed in a lab (literally, in some cases) and packaged in a factory.

My goal for my family is to eat as much:

• locally grown produce (from my own garden or bought from local farms/farmer’s markets)
• locally-raised, pastured beef, pork, and chicken and eggs
• raw milk from pasture-fed cows, which can be skimmed for cream and made into butter
• raw milk cheese or at least whole-milk cheese
• freshly milled whole wheat breads and other flour products
• canned (or possibly even lacto-fermented) fruits and veggies for use when out of season
• butter, cream, extra virgin olive oil, coconut and palm oil, lard, and meat fat as possible.

And eliminate as many:

• industrial fats (trans fats/hydrogenated fats, margarine, vegetable oils, and shortening)
• refined grains and sugars, and artificial sweeteners
• and even raw/natural sweeteners as possible.

I was working toward this in Washington, but am currently taking it slow during this transition in our lives. I still try to eat as many whole foods and traditional fats as possible while including as much organic as possible since we are not eating local.

Hopefully, I will help you achieve this with your family (if you so choose) and help you understand why this is important throughout this Food, Naturally series.

Food, Naturally: Introduction

In case you missed it, you can start at the beginning.

I would like to start off by describing my food journey.

There was once a time when I did not make (or stock in my kitchen) anything that was not “something”-Helper or what I refer to as “pasta boxes” (Pasta Roni, Knorr Pasta sides, and Kraft Macaroni items). At that time I did not even stock fruits and vegetables in my kitchen and if on the rare occasion that I did buy “produce” at the store, it was only canned and most likely stayed in the cabinet until I cleaned them out for the food pantry! I thought that all fat was bad for you, but I still wanted my “fattening” pastas so I used skim milk, figuring it would reduce the calories I was afraid to eat (but did anyway). This continued through my meeting Robert. We still have memories of Tuna Helper only dinners.

Right before I started writing my own blog (my first post was in March 2009) I started checking out different blogs through the Faith and Family LIVE comments sections. I found some good, some bad, some personal journal-type, and some “business” with big followings. Because of a couple good blogs I encountered I started thinking seriously about what we eat.

One of the blogs I read regularly is one I mentioned previously called Heavenly Homemakers. The writer Laura (yes, same name) is a Christian homemaker who blogs mostly about real food: her family’s journey to real food, recipes, tips, and information. She also blogs about faith and living. The other blog I have been reading on and off for almost two years, but as of this writing I have already read through about twenty or more posts in just one day! It is called Kitchen Stewardship. The writer Katie is a Catholic mother who blogs about good stewardship in and out of the kitchen.

Through these two blogs, many online sources, and the two books mentioned here, I have learned a great deal about what we should really be eating. So as not to overwhelm those of you who may have never heard of any of this, I will start slow and not include too many details but only strongly encourage you to do your own reading and researching. There are so many false sources out there that it can be hard to sift through them, but one of the most important things to remember is this. Do they have a political, financial, or other gain that may be obtained by making these remarks regarding what we eat? (This can be applied in any case where safety and health are concerned. I will probably be writing about this in other areas at a later date.)

With that, I will conclude my introduction as well as let you know that my next post will be generically answering the question, “What is real food?” And each subsequent post will briefly elaborate on a specific food or group of foods! I cannot wait to share more.

New Series Coming! Food, Naturally

I am finally getting around to posting about food which I stated as a topic when I first started writing again this year in May! The good thing is I have read more and know more about it now than I did when I mentioned it previously. This is going to be a short series about what I have learned regarding true nutrition and health. Like I mentioned previously, you might be shocked by what you find here, but I urge you to read and research for yourselves.

These are the books I have enjoyed reading thus far.

• Real Food: What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck
• Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig

Other books that I would like to read on this topic include:

• The Untold Story of Milk, Revised and Updated: The History, Politics, and Science of Nature’s Perfect Food: Raw Milk from Pasture-Fed Cows by Ron Schmid
• Know Your Fats: The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils, and Cholesterol by Mary Enig
• Eat Fat, Lose Fat: The Healthy Alternative to Trans Fats by Mary Enig and Sally Fallon
• Real Food for Mother and Baby: The Fertility Diet, Eating for Two, and Baby’s First Foods by Nina Planck
• The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
• In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan

Many of these books you may be able to find at your local library, but I would recommend buying Nourishing Traditions because of its depth of knowledge and recipes.

I have some topics that I am currently planning to write about, but I may add more as I go along, which is something I seem to do often with these series! Posts for the series are (currently):

• Introduction
• What is Real Food?
• Why Eat Real Food, Part I
• Why Eat Real Food, Part II
• Why You Will Feel Better Eating It
• Raw Milk* and Other Dairy
• Article I
• Meat, Eggs, and Good Fats
• Article II and More
• Vegetable Oils and Bad Fats
• Real Whole Wheat
• Article III and More
• Natural Sugars and Eating Less of Them!
• Eliminate Processed Foods
• Know Your Ingredients, Read Your Labels
• Article IV
• “Natural” Can Be Deceiving
• Why is Organic Better?
• Not all “Organic” is Good Food
• So What About Snacks and Dessert?!

* I previously wrote a post about raw milk, the first from my Back to Nature series, but I plan on writing another one to include the information I have read and learned since.

I wanted to add two links to my favorite blogs to read for nourishing, real food recipes: Heavenly Homemakers, and Kitchen Stewardship

A New Post ... Finally

It has been almost two months since I have published anything on here. For those still checking in, I thank you for your patience. My computer was being "worked" on for over six weeks before they finally just gave us a new one. Pretty disappointing and definitely frustrating, but I finally have a usable computer now.

I hope to start writing here again soon, but I cannot make promises as to how often it will be. I am so much busier since we moved! I am not sure when I will be able to start writing my marriage series again. I haven't been able to read or write anything related to it thus far. But I will try to post something interesting for the interim!

My next post will be about what I am learning about food. It is very interesting. I have been trying to get and keep my family healthy for a while, but these books I have been reading just take the cake. Be prepared for some shocks unless you have already done your own research on real food!

Taking a Break

Well, after all this waiting, I have finally decided that I can't "do it all" right now. I have been so busy and/or tired lately that I barely even have time to get online to check my email, let alone spend hours reading, researching, and writing posts.

I have a feeling it will only get worse from here, because I'm already in the second trimester and my fatigue is not letting up. Nursing while pregnant apparently takes a lot out of you.

When I finally get to sit down for long periods of time (whenever that may be), I will once again resume my blog series. I was so anxious and excited to write it and now I'm just too tired to get it done. I have plenty of ideas in my head and hopefully some day soon they will make it down on "paper".

For now though, I need to announce a break. I hope to be back soon.

Thank you for visiting.

God bless,
A Bird on Her Nest

Another "Sad" Update

Well, yesterday my DVD drive decided to die, so my main computer (with all my files) is now being sent in to be fixed. Sadly, this leaves my series behind for about the tenth time in two weeks. I have my files backed up, but they are not on this computer yet. I will try to move them tomorrow so that I can work on my posts. If all goes well, my "Between Man and Woman (Only)" post should be up later Wednesday or Thursday. And I will try to get one posted for Friday as well.

I am doing my best to stay on task with everything here at home and I think we have finally finished everything including our move paperwork (which was so continuously put-off that if we hadn't been given a miracle today, we be out quite a bit of money).

Needless to say, I have now learned packing, moving, unpacking, and settling in is not the greatest time to start a new series, especially when I slacked off after finishing my Open to Life series three weeks early. (Yes, I had them scheduled to post that far in advance!)

For anyone who is still with me, I thank you for your wonderful patience.

Marriage Series: An Introduction to Marriage

As I have discussed previously on this blog, marriage is a vocation. It is a beautiful, God-given relationship designed to express the life-giving love of God. God designed marriage from the beginning: Genesis 2:22-24.

22 And the Lord God built the rib which he took from Adam into a woman: and brought her to Adam. 23 And Adam said: This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man. 24 Wherefore a man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they shall be two in one flesh.

As a vocation, marriage is extremely important and not to be taken lightly. A search online through the Catechism brought up 77 paragraphs including the word “marriage”! Throughout this series, I will try to elaborate as much as possible on the importance of marriage, its meaning and its purpose.

This opening from the Bishops’ “Statement on Same-Sex Marriage” is a beautiful way to end my Introduction on Marriage:

“The Roman Catholic Church believes that marriage is a faithful, exclusive, and lifelong union between one man and one woman, joined as husband and wife in an intimate partnership of life and love. This union was established by God with its own proper laws. By reason of its very nature, therefore, marriage exists for the mutual love and support of the spouses and for the procreation and education of children. These two purposes, the unitive and the procreative, are equal and inseparable. The institution of marriage has a very important relationship to the continuation of the human race, to the total development of the human person, and to the dignity, stability, peace, and prosperity of the family and of society.

“Furthermore, we believe the natural institution of marriage has been blessed and elevated by Christ to the dignity of a sacrament. This means that Christian marriage is more than a contract. Because they are married in the Lord, the spouses acquire a special relationship to each other and to society. Their love becomes a living image of the manner in which the Lord personally loves his people and is united with them. Living a Christian sacramental marriage becomes their fundamental way of attaining salvation.”

Up Next on Wednesday: Between Man and Woman (Only)

For full texts of the documents used, see my Marriage Series: Introduction

Family Day

I have family visiting today and I am still way behind on my posts. I normally have them scheduled one to two weeks ahead, but I have only written the introduction so far. Things around here have been busy from unpacking, running errands, etc. I have a series post scheduled for Monday and I will try to work on more over the weekend (and certainly before Wednesday) so that I can continue to post on time. I apologize for this interruption, but thank you for your patience.

Marriage Series: Introduction

Many people today walk down the aisle thinking they love the person they are about to marry and hoping they will spend the rest of their life with him or her. This is almost the way it should be. If this were a complete picture, why do as many as fifty percent of marriages end in divorce? Moreover, why are so many people cohabitating instead of getting married?

To answer these questions, we must start at the beginning. I believe that many people today no longer understand the meaning and value of marriage and the family. They do not understand the true, God-given meaning of love. They do not understand the sanctity of the marital act. They may not even understand or believe their marriage vows! How have we gotten to this state? How can we return to God’s way? I hope that you will learn all this and more in the wonderful series, I have put together. I look forward to sharing each post with you!

The topics for the series are:
* An Introduction to Marriage
* Between Man and Woman (Only)
* Soul Mates
* Courtship vs. Dating
* Is “Love” Required for Marriage?
* Chastity before Marriage
* Cohabitation
* Interfaith Marriages
* Engagements
* Prenuptial Agreements
* Getting Married in the Church
* Vows
* “Getting to know each other”
* Marriage is for Children
* The Importance of NFP in Marriage
* True Love … What is Love?
* Raising Children in the Faith
* Theology of the Body and Marriage
* Arguments are Not the End
* In-laws and Family
* Marriage and Money
* Women and the Vocation of Marriage
* The Problem of Divorce
* Some Final Words about Marriage

Just like my last series, I have used a great deal of sources. Instead of linking each source on each post, I have compiled them here for ease of reading. Please read the ones that interest you. They are all Catholic sources and I enjoyed reading them myself!

These are available free online:
* The Holy Bible from New Advent
* Humanae Vitae by Pope Paul VI
* Mulieris Dignitatem (On the Dignity and Vocation of Women) by Bl. Pope John Paul II
* Familiaris Consortio (The Family in the Modern World) by Bl. Pope John Paul II
* “Letter to Families” by Bl. Pope John Paul II
* “Letter to Women” by Bl. Pope John Paul II
* Family, Marriage, and De Facto Unions by Bl. Pope John Paul II
* “Preparation of the Sacrament of Marriage” from the Vatican
* “Between a Man and Woman Q&A About Same Sex Unions” by USCCB
* “Statement on Same Sex Marriage” by USCCB
* Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan by USCCB
* Married Love and the Gift of Life by USCCB
* Catechism of the Catholic Church on USCCB
* Catechism of the Catholic Church on Knights of Columbus: better for searching
* “Pastoral Letter on Cohabitation” by The Kansas Catholic Conference
* Catholic Dating Guide by Jason E. King
* Preserving the Sanctity of Marriage by Rev. W. Becket Soule, O.P.
* Superstition of Divorce by GK Chesterton
* Divorce versus Democracy by GK Chesterton
* The Defendant by GK Chesterton
* Manalive by GK Chesterton
* Superstition of Divorce Lecture by Dale Ahlquist

These must be purchased:
* Together for Life by Joseph M. Champlin
* “Living Together Before Marriage” by Katrina Zeno and Christopher West
* Theology of the Body for Beginners by Christopher West

Remember to check back here often, as I hope to update this page frequently.

Are We Allowed to Judge Others?

Many people, both Catholics and Protestants alike, tend to take Bible verses out of context to fit their view of how they should live a Christian life. One verse that could not be more “abused” in this sense is Matthew 7:1 “Judge not, that you may not be judged.”

If we read the rest of the passage, we will learn what Jesus actually says.
“2 For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3 And why do you see the mote that is in your brother's eye; and see not the beam that is in your own eye? 4 Or how do you say to your brother: Let me cast the mote out of your eye; and behold a beam is in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of your own eye, and then shall you see to cast out the mote out of your brother's eye.” (Matt. 7:2-5)

We see in verse 5 that Jesus tells us, if we first cast out the beam from our own eye, we will then see to cast out the mote from our brother’s eye. This is exactly the opposite of the interpretation given for verse 1: that no one but the Father in heaven can judge anything.

While there is a difference between judging actions and judging people (and I will elaborate on that below), we are called to and must judge the actions of others. If we were not allowed to judge, then no one could say, “Fornication is wrong”, or “Abortion is wrong”, or “Cohabitation is wrong”.

We must be mindful of the problems in judging the person since we may not know their level of culpability for their actions. We cannot know what is truly in their heart and therefore cannot make a blanket statement such as “so-and-so will go to hell for that abortion”. We cannot even know whether Judas is in hell.

However, everyone must judge actions using a properly formed conscience. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church par. 1778, it is said:

“Conscience is a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act that he is going to perform, is in the process of performing, or has already completed. In all he says and does, man is obliged to follow faithfully what he knows to be just and right. It is by the judgment of his conscience that man perceives and recognizes the prescriptions of the divine law:

“Conscience is a law of the mind; yet [Christians] would not grant that it is nothing more; I mean that it was not a dictate, nor conveyed the notion of responsibility, of duty, of a threat and a promise.... [Conscience] is a messenger of him, who, both in nature and in grace, speaks to us behind a veil, and teaches and rules us by his representatives. Conscience is the aboriginal Vicar of Christ.”

In addition, CCC 1783 says:

“Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened. A well-formed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator. The education of conscience is indispensable for human beings who are subjected to negative influences and tempted by sin to prefer their own judgment and to reject authoritative teachings.”

We must also remember that Matt. 7:2, “For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again,” does not mean that if you judge cohabitation as acceptable that you will be judged the same in heaven. As the CCC 1783 says, “Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened” (emphasis added). This means that we must be informed of the Church teachings in order to judge actions correctly.

We must also be mindful that our past sins do not make us unworthy to judge the actions of others. If this were so, how could Peter have been expected to lead the Church as Pope when he denied Christ three times! All humans are sinful, that does not mean that we cannot judge, it only means that we must realize our sins, confess our sins, and grow in our understanding of the Faith in order to lead Christian lives.


* An important ending note: "to admonish sinners" is third of the seven spiritual works of mercy.

Veiling in Church

I mentioned last week that I had felt called to start dressing modestly and femininely with skirts and dresses, and that I had felt called in another area as well—head covering during mass. I want to share with you my research in regards to head covering.

In 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, Paul says:

2 Now I praise you, brethren, that in all things you are mindful of me and keep my ordinances as I have delivered them to you. 3 But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ: and the head of the woman is the man: and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered disgraces his head. 5 But every woman praying or prophesying with her head not covered disgraces her head: for it is all one as if she were shaven. 6 For if a woman be not covered, let her be shorn. But if it be a shame to a woman to be shorn or made bald, let her cover her head. 7 The man indeed ought not to cover his head: because he is the image and glory of God. But the woman is the glory of the man. 8 For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man. 9 For the man was not created for the woman: but the woman for the man. 10 Therefore ought the woman to have a power over her head, because of the angels. 11 But yet neither is the man without the woman, nor the woman without the man, in the Lord. 12 For as the woman is of the man, so also is the man by the woman: but all things of God. 13 You yourselves judge. Does it become a woman to pray unto God uncovered? 14 Does not even nature itself teach you that a man indeed, if he nourish his hair, it is a shame unto him? 15 But if a woman nourish her hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering. 16 But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor the Church of God.

The 1917 Code of Canon Law #1262 said:

§1. It is desirable that, consistent with ancient discipline, women be separated from men in church.

§2. Men, in a church or outside a church, while they are assisting at sacred rites, shall be bare-headed, unless the approved mores of the people or peculiar circumstances of things determine otherwise; women, however, shall have a covered head and be modestly dressed, especially when they approach the table of the Lord.

From Catholic Answers, Apologist Peggy Frye says, “[T]he document Inter Insigniores by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (October 15, 1976) stated that the 1917 Code of Canon Law (Canon 1262.2) requiring women to wear a veil on their head was a custom of the period, and that such ordinances, “probably inspired by the customs of the period, concern scarcely more than disciplinary practices of minor importance”, thus the “obligation imposed upon women to wear a veil on their head (1 Cor 11:2-16) no longer has a normative value." However, as a sign of respect, women should wear a veil when meeting the pope.”

Showing the Pope respect by covering your head when meeting him, but not showing Christ that same respect at mass does not sit well with me. I admit I do not fully understand the custom to cover your head when meeting the Pope. Nevertheless, I do feel that if it truly is a sign of respect, then we must give Christ that same respect, especially during the Eucharist.

I understand, and would like to mention, that this is a personal devotion for me. It is not binding in conscience upon anyone else. However, if after reading this and researching the Church laws, customs, and scripture on your own, you feel called to cover, go with your heart. Do not let the words of others sway you to believe that head covering is outdated and/or suppressive to women.

Women, Fashions, and the Decline of Society

I now fully understand Chesterton when he writes in What’s Wrong with the World about a reason why women did not need the right to vote. It is because they already rule – they rule the home and therefore society. Women are society’s center. They are the moral standard. What women allow, do, and say will set the tone for all of society. This has been interpreted (from Genesis) as the reason that the serpent went after the woman first. If you want to destroy a society, you must start with the women. Everything else will come down with them.

Bl. Jacinta Marto recalls what Our Blessed Mother spoke to her and the other two children in 1917. “Certain fashions will be introduced which will offend our Lord very much. Persons who serve God must not follow fashions. The Church does not have fashions; Our Lord is always the same. The sins of the world are very great. …”

Women have allowed themselves to become corrupted by the ways of the world. Pants as women’s wear have been around for “so long” that many young girls and women do not think twice about what this says for women as a whole. Giuseppe Cardinal Siri tells us that male dress changes the psychology of women. Male dress tends to vitiate relationships between men and women. And male dress harms the dignity of the mother in her child’s eyes.

Pope Pius XII says this in “Allocution to the Girls of Catholic Action” May 22, 1941:

“Some young ladies may remark that a certain form of dress is more convenient, or even more hygienic; but if it becomes a grave and proximate danger for the soul, it is certainly not hygienic for the spirit, and you must reject it. … And if simply for one’s own pleasure, one has not the right to endanger the physical health of others, is it not still less licit to compromise the health, or rather the very life, of their souls?

“If, as some women say, a bold fashion does not leave them with any evil impressions, how can they know anything of the impression made on others? Who can assure them that others do not draw therefrom incentives to evil? …

“Oh, how truly was it said that if some Christian women could only suspect the temptations and falls they cause in others with modes of dress and familiarity in behavior, which they unthinkingly consider as of no importance, they would be shocked by the responsibility which is theirs.”

All women must understand “the responsibility which is theirs”, mainly, the life of their souls and the souls of others. We must remember that the way we dress, act, and speak represents our femininity, which is beautiful and God-given and must be protected. We must not and do not need to dress and act like men in order to be respected and have equal rights. It is only when we are truly feminine is our dress, words, and actions that we will be given the full respect and dignity due us.

My Path Toward Modesty

Now that I am trying to lead a truly Christian life, with all that encompasses, I cannot believe how I used to dress. I dressed with the fashions of the time: short shorts, short skirts, low-cut tops (sometimes at the same time). One look at my senior pictures from high school will tell all. Given my previous statement, I feel they are too undignified to post here.

As I have grown older (not that I am that old), I have slowly started to become more modest. The biggest changes only started happening when I came back into full communion with the Church. But even then, I hardly gave much of a thought to the way I dress. I figured clothes were clothes. If they are being sold, I can wear them!

About the last eight months or so, I have been feeling very uncomfortable in what I wear. I have noticed that my necklines are too low and constantly felt the need to pull them up. I felt my pants hung too low on my hips, and was always having to pull them up as well. But the more I read and immersed myself in Catholic thought and teaching, the more I felt called to do more.

I finally “gave in” to the yearning of my heart and my husband and I bought me some lovely skirts to wear. I would love to wear dresses but they are impractical right now since I am still nursing. I bought some lovely tops to go along with the skirts. I do not think what I am wearing is “perfect” by any sense, but now I feel content (instead of self-conscious) when I am in public.

The book Dressing with Dignity that I discussed last post really helped me to figure out the why in my question of being called to dress this way. Sometimes we feel a pull from God in one direction of our lives and we are uneasy about following it, wondering where it came from or why we should do this particular thing. I ignored the voice for a while, but I can say that I am truly thankful I finally listened to it.

Next week I will discuss the other area where I have felt a calling.

We're on the Move

We have left our home in Washington and are heading back East. It is going to be a long journey, but the scenery is beautiful. Here is a picture from our trip out here.

Dressing with Dignity Review

I put my Chesterton book away for a while and have been reading a few other things. My latest read is called Dressing with Dignity by Colleen Hammond. I think the issue is so important that I will be writing a few posts about it. I will start here with a review of the book.

Hammond incorporates wonderful Catholic sources (popes, saints, scripture, and others) when giving the proper definitions of modesty and noting what the Church has said about fashions. She discusses the history of fashions: unchanged for about 6000 years until the 1900s. However, in the 1900s, things started going downhill rapidly! She also discusses what it means to be feminine. In addition, she uses a whole chapter to discuss proper outfit guidelines.

I think this book is important. It is vital to know what the Church teaches and how the Church has reacted to the changes in clothing in the past hundred years. Before I read this book, I did not know that the Church had made any statements regarding dress!

This book is greatly needed in our world today. I think it should be required reading for every woman and girl. I encourage you to buy the book for yourself and hope that it will change your life and perspective on how to dress like a woman.

The New Marriage Series

This is not my introduction to my new series. It is only an overview and look ahead for everyone to see what is in store!

I feel it is important for me to site Catholic sources with my series. I do not want to write another one like my Back to Nature series where I strictly state my ideas and thoughts. These latest two, Open to Life and now Marriage, are too important not to add Catholic sources.

With that said, I have a great deal of reading in store for me with this series. I have not read all the papal encyclicals about marriage, women, and family. I also have books from Chesterton, Bishops’ letters, and a few Catholic web articles that I plan to read. I hope that my motivation and time management will help me to accomplish this quickly so I can start writing.

If you watched my introduction page for my last series, you saw immense growth in the amount of posts I had. I started with about four posts in mind and the series grew to a total of 22 (including the introduction and closing remarks)! This one is already starting to do the same. I began my thoughts with only the idea of soul mates and it has grown from there. I currently have these posts in mind, but I am hoping to add many more:

* Between a man and woman
* Soul mates
* Courtship vs. dating
* Cohabitation
* Engagements
* Prenuptial agreements
* Vows
* “Getting to know each other”
* Theology of the Body and Marriage
* Arguments
* The importance of NFP
* In-laws and family
* Marriage and money
* Women and the vocation of marriage
* The problems with divorce

As I said previously, I am taking a little time off to move and delve into writing ahead for this series. I plan to post my Marriage Series Introduction in about two weeks.

An Over-Population Rebuttal

Although, I realize this article is long, it is important for understanding the non-existant over-population problem and the Catholic answer to it.

Take a break, and enjoy the article "Planet Un-Parenthood: The Myths of Overpopulation" by Fr. Frank Pavone.

Open to Life: Closing Remarks

For a list of all posts in the series and for links to all documents used, visit: Open to Life Series: Introduction.

To read the series from the beginning, see: What is Openness to Life?

This is a final note for my series.

To be open to life is of the greatest importance, whether Catholic, Protestant, or non-Christian. Life is important and must be valued and protected from the moment of natural conception until the moment of natural death. Within our time on Earth, suffering is almost in inevitable and with that is the need for compassion, mercy, sympathy, and healing - not euthanasia, suicide, abortion, or PGD. Be a light for this world by living out the important call: to be For LIFE.

I am not perfect and I do not claim to be. I hope that throughout this series no one has thought of me as preaching from my soapbox. I have made many mistakes in my life and will continue to make mistakes in the future. All I can do is ask God for his mercy and forgiveness through the confessional and help others to live their lives through Christ by teaching Catholic doctrine.

I hope that this series has helped at least one person come closer to Christ and His Church. If it has, I thank God for working through me with the Holy Spirit.


My next series is equally important and I am eagerly awaiting its debut, but I need a short break so that I can research, read, and write ahead as well as get my house in order for our upcoming move. I have a few posts scheduled so there will still be something to read in the meantime. Please stay with me through this transition!

Open to Life: The Population Myth

If you are new to this series, I recommend starting at the beginning: Open to Life Series: What is Openness to Life?

This Open to Life series would not be complete without a statement (or two) about the so-called “over-population problem”. Let me begin, by saying that there is no over-population problem. This myth/theory has been and still is purported as fact (just like evolution)!

The world today makes more food, more efficiently than it ever has. Better farming practices and machinery have made this possible. We actually make more food per person today than we used to—and we do it on less land. There is no food shortage. The world is large enough to produce food for all people. This is not to say that people do not starve because of lack of food. They certainly do. I am simply saying that the world can and does make enough food for everyone; it is just that some governments sadly withhold food from their citizens and many people waste large amounts of food (that theoretically could have gone to feed others).

As far as destroying/polluting the environment, if every person lived as a good steward of the earth through buying local and in season meat, eggs, and produce; gardening where possible; and using energy efficiently, population would be a non-issue. The fact that people destroy the environment through their selfish practices is the only reason why “pollution” and “nature” come into play while talking about over-population. (See my endnote and read my Back to Nature series for a more on this.)

If you do not believe me, do your own research—but make sure you get the facts not the myths. For the best information on this, watch Demographic Bomb and Demographic Winter. These movies really put everything into perspective for Robert and me. There are trailers on the websites, but you have to purchase the DVDs to see them. To get some statistics without purchasing a movie, this page talks about the issue.

Endnote: Please realize, I am not saying that if you do not garden and you buy strawberries in February you are being selfish. I am merely saying that the practices I mentioned help us to be good stewards of the earth, which we are called by God to do.


Up Next: Open to Life Closing Remarks

For full texts of the documents used, see my Open to Life Series: Introduction

Open to Life: Eugenics and Abortion

If you are new to this series, I recommend starting at the beginning: Open to Life Series: What is Openness to Life?


Last time I talked about eugenics and IVF. If that did not wake you up to the Truth of the world, I hope that this post will.

Prenatal testing is now commonplace. According to Physicians for Life, “an estimated 70% of all pregnant women in the United States will choose to have prenatal screening tests.” One of the main purposes of this testing is to abort diseased, disordered, or imperfect children. This is not just my opinion: “Recent US studies have indicated that when Down syndrome is diagnosed prenatally, 84% to 91% of those babies will be killed by abortion. This trend is not isolated to the United States. In England, a 2004 study showed that 94% of babies who were diagnosed prenatally with Down syndrome were subsequently aborted” (Physicians for Life). This post from Accepting Abundance also discusses the issue.

In my post about Planned Parenthood’s beginnings, I talked about how Planned Parenthood claims to help the poor … by not helping them. In other words, they are just strictly pro-abortion and we can “only guess” as to their motives (if we really need to). Their statements in this recent Fox News article advance this idea further:

After a law scheduled to go into effect July 1 will require women to wait 72 hours and consult a crisis pregnancy center adviser before getting an abortion, Planned Parenthood argues that it violates First Amendment rights. They (PP) say that HB 1217 aims to misinform pregnant women with the intent of dissuading them from getting an abortion. They further argue, “Under the law, these crisis pregnancy centers must have as their central mission a desire to dissuade a woman from having an abortion, no matter what her particular risks or circumstances.”

Really … What could they possibly be so afraid of from fewer women deciding to have abortions unless they have ulterior motives?

In addition, let us not forget about the abortions in other countries and possibly in the U.S. when the child is not the “correct” sex. Especially with China’s one-child policy and parents wanting males who will take care of them in old age.

The only way we can stop the madness of eugenics by another name is by setting a Christian example, especially by being Open to Life, advocating for these innocent babies, and teaching our children—living as a light to the world.


Up Next: The Population Myth

For full texts of the documents used, see my Open to Life Series: Introduction